The week's best concerts: July 6-12

Lil DurkStargate Dance Club, Wednesday 7.6
One of the stars of first-wave Chicago “drill rap,” Lil Durk emerged in 2012 — when he still wore his signature dreads — and has since outlasted many of his peers. Though he has a major-label deal with Def Jam, he’s mostly given away popular free mixtapes, including the Signed to the Streets series and last year’s 300 Days 300 Nights. That raw, direct approach to releasing music suits Durk well. A native of Chicago's dangerous Englewood neighborhood and the son of a drug-dealing father who was once caught with $8 million, Durk is someone you can trust to tell cold, blunt truths about life and death. He transmits those stories through a range of vocal deliveries. There’s his downright artful use of Auto-Tune, plus his head-turning flow that’s perhaps best exemplified on fan-favorite song “52 Bars” series. No matter how he gets the job done, Durk isn’t letting up, as recent songs like “If I Could” rank among his best work ever. With Big Mo, FME, and SKNY. $30-$60. 18+. 9 p.m. 1700 Rice St., St. Paul; call 651-347-5915 for more info. —Michael Madden

GarbageSkyway Theatre, Thursday 7.7
A quarter century into it, the grunge-pop quartet Garbage still hasn’t trashed its principles. So much so that their new, sixth album, Strange Little Birds, soars over the proverbial dustbin on the potent fumes of their ’90s halcyon days. Still, Birds doesn’t reek of retro. Instead, it refreshes with an already edgy dose of muscular, intricate turbulence. As Shirley Manson croons conspiratorially with honeyed angst on the pivotal track “Even Though Our Love Is Doomed,” “Don’t want to be lost in dreams / we’re still aching for tomorrow.” All the while a kind of haunting grandeur lurks amid flickers of dissonance and industrial noise, as do Manson’s often languid, dark murmurings. As always, Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, and Butch Vig build sleek maelstroms of jagged guitars, blistering synths, and ragged percussion, most dramatically on “Blackout.” Vig, incidentally, is suffering from acute sinusitis and will be replaced on tour by drummer Eric Gardner. Opening is Kristin Kontrol, a.k.a. Dee Dee of the Dum Dum Girls. $42. 8 p.m. 711 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-333-6100.— Rick Mason

A Tribute to the Musical Life of Nick Patrick ThompsonFirst Avenue, Saturday 7.9
Nick Thompson, founder of Minneapolis record label Blood of the Young Records, died suddenly on June 4. He was 36. "He's still there in the music," a friend said in his obituary. "If you listen just right you can hear him." Thompson launched Blood of the Young back in 1999, attracting national acts (Bright Eyes, the Faint) as well as big-name locals (Plastic Constellations, Har Mar Superstar). The label cooled down after 2004, but the past couple years saw releases from Tickle Torture, Father You See Queen, and last month’s split EP from Fort Wilson Riot and Pornonono. On Saturday, the music community will celebrate the label head’s life and work with a reunion-heavy concert showcase featuring past and current BOTY signees. The wild noisemakers of Marijuana Deathsquads will headline. The rest of the lineup features a rare show from Har Mar Superstar's old indie-rock band, Sean Na Na, plus reunions from two celebrated local acts — hardcore ragers the Khayembii Communique and emo faves Cadillac Blindside. Metal quartet Blackthorne will also perform, as will late additions Tickle Torture, P.O.S, Fort Wilson Riot, and Pornonono. 18+. $12-$15. 701 N First Ave, Minneapolis; 612-338-8388. –Jay Boller

DoomtreeSociable Cider Werks, Sunday, 7.10
Hey everybody! Free Doomtree show down at the ol' cider factory. The beloved hometown hip-hop crew is throwing a free outdoor concert at northeast Minneapolis hard-cider destination Sociable Cider Werks. The gig is the first installment in Sociable's new, four-part Sociable Summer concert series. Food from the Curious Goat and the Smoking Cow will be available, as will cider and beers from the host. Last month Doomtree released a party-starting new song, "Spill Me Up." The Lazerbeak-produced track – the crew’s first new material since 2015 album All Hands – features verses from Sims, Cecil Otter, and P.O.S, and likely the only Marcel Marceau reference you’ll hear put to a beat. Doomtree members are making time for festival dates this summer in between solo engagements. 21+. Free with RSVP; $5 at the gate. 1500 Fillmore St. NE, Minneapolis; 612-758-0105. –Jay Boller

Sarah JaroszDakota Jazz Club, Tuesday 7.12
Texas musical prodigy Sarah Jarosz was a mandolin wiz by age 10 and recorded her first album as a teenager. While still a student at New England Conservatory of Music, she produced the Grammy-nominated, boundary stretching, avant-Americana stunner Build Me Up From Bones. Three years later, on her just-released fourth album, Undercurrent, the 25-year-old Jarosz reveals even greater artistic maturity. Examples include her simplified, yet more sophisticated arrangements, richly emotive singing, elegant instrumental work, and evocative songwriting. Jarosz reserves her most striking vocal work for the last song, “Jacqueline,” a ritual cleanser for the preceding romantic turmoil. On it, she quietly negotiates a bubbling brook of twists, eddies, highs, and lows that’s reminiscent of Joni Mitchell. Her meticulously crafted song cycle ranges from lust (“Everything to Hide”) to regret (“Early Morning Light”), anger (“House of Mercy”), resentment (“Lost Dog”), and cautious optimism (“Take Me Back”). The music is a country/folk hybrid; the attack is lean with sculpted guitar, fiddle, or steel etching lingering poignancy. Brother Brothers open. $30-$35. 7 p.m. 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; 612-332-5299. –Rick Mason